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Corporan getting best from pitchers and his bat

3/21/13: Carlos Corporan smacks a solo homer over the right-field wall, extending the Astros' lead to 3-1 in the top of the fifth inning

By Brian McTaggart
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MLB.com |

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Offensive production is a bonus for backup catcher Carlos Corporan, who's more concerned about getting the best out of his pitchers. Corporan contributed on both ends on Thursday, hitting a pair of long homers in Houston's 7-2 win over Detroit at Joker Marchant Stadium.

The switch-hitting Corporan, who had only one career Major League at-bat in eight years of professional ball when the Astros signed him to a Minor League deal in 2010, is hitting .370 this spring, with two homers and seven RBIs.

"I'm putting good swings on balls and trying to put the ball in play," Corporan said. "Thankfully, I had some good pitches and put some nice swings on them. That's the balance for me; I want to take care of my pitching staff like I did today. We [were facing] a pretty good lineup, one of the best lineups in the game. We showed them what we got. That's when I'm happy, to see my pitching staff working like that."

Corporan hit a tape-measure homer to right in the fifth against Justin Verlander and added a long homer to right in the seventh against hard-throwing reliever Al Alburquerque. He singled in his final at-bat to finish 3-for-4.

"You can mature in the game, and you get to know your swing and you learn," he said. "You can learn what the pitcher is trying to do. My swing has always been there, and now I have more experience and figured out what they're trying to do to me. I feel more mature."

The Astros have clubbed 39 homers in 25 games this spring, and Corporan believes the power surge will pay dividends in the regular season.

"We don't have a good team on paper, but on talent, I think, we have a really, really good team," he said. "We have a lot of people who can change the game with one swing. That's going to be my goal this year, trying to keep it to two or three runs per game, and I know someone is going to turn on one. That's the big difference between this year and last year."